King: Katrina victims only asked for help, unlike Iowans

WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican Steve King says he was told that victims of Hurricane Katrina only asked for help, unlike people in his home state of Iowa, who “take care of each other.”

The Iowa congressman told a town hall meeting in Charter Oak he visited New Orleans multiple times after the deadly 2005 storm.

Referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said, “Here’s what FEMA tells me: We go to a place like New Orleans and everybody’s looking around saying, ‘Who’s gonna help me, who’s gonna help me?’ When FEMA responds to problems in Iowa, they’re just always gratified when they come and see how Iowans take care of each other.”

King has been under fire from his party for remarks about race. New Orleans is mostly black.

FILE – In this Jan. 26, 2019 file photo, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, speaks during a town hall meeting, in Primghar, Iowa. King says he was told that victims of Hurricane Katrina only asked for help, unlike Iowans. King told his constituents Thursday that as New Orleans recovered from the 2005 storm, someone from FEMA told him that â€œeverybodyâ€™s looking around saying, whoâ€™s gonna help me, whoâ€™s gonna help me?â€ In contrast, King said, â€œIowans take care of each other.â€ New Orleans is mostly black. Iowa is mostly white. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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